Shadows in Sunlight
by Yidra
Summary: Isolated from the Traveler's Light and reinforcements, two Guardians must traverse the dark halls of the Hellmouth and complete their mission before the Hive manage a resurgence. Will their discoveries deep in the fortress change them for the worst, or will they hold onto the guidance of the Light and rise above the temptations of the Darkness?
1. Introduction

**Intro: Hellish Tunnels**

 _ **Location: Unknown, Hellmouth, Luna**_

 _ **Approx. Time: 10:30, ca. 2700s**_

 _ **Fireteam: Shadow**_

 _ **Fireteam Status: Unknown**_

 _ **Ghost Status: Unknown**_

 _ **Objective Status: Unknown**_

 _ **Incoming distress signal**_

 _ **Sending distress signal…Vanguard received**_

Diablo-41 and Savage-13, self-proclaimed brothers and vaunted members of Fireteam Shadow. Five miles deep on the Moon, a passage of the Hellmouth and facing an open door leading to an abyss. It was going to be an easy job, or at least an easier job ever since The Guardian slew Crota, Son of Oryx. Slay a newly prominent member of the Hive and get out. Simple. Their arrogance made them think it was going to be simple.

The Summoning Pits was where everything fell apart. Phori Xunj, third member of the Fireteam, was trapped under fallen pillars not twenty minutes before they arrived at the door. A stray ogre marching through the fortress drawn by her Light, blasting at the Fireteam with its eye, destroying her Ghost, cracking the ground apart under its weight and roaring in its primal rage. Then the thrall came and consumed the incapacitated Awoken. Her screams could be heard through the halls as she was buried under the thralls and the brothers were forced to go deeper, slaughtering dozens of Hive as they traversed the treacherous landscape of the deep fortress, attempting to free themselves from the advancing horde.

"We are adrift in here," Savage-13 muttered several times, his voice deep and crackling, on the verge of growling.

"I am aware," his brother would respond in a whisper, hands gripping his pulse rifle tightly, green eyes hardened and set.

Screeches from the deep dark in front of them, from beyond the door, scattering footsteps, a thunderous boom of shifting rock and possible magic. The Hive, as much as the brothers refused to verbally admit it, frightened them, but they were loyal enough and confident enough to still fight. They would have to continue that trend. From the void before them came a swarm of thrall, each one felled by the brothers being replaced by four more. Chitin pieces and ooze plastered the walls like putty as the dark servants of the Hive were slaughtered in droves.

"More are coming," Diablo-41 muttered.

"Indeed," Savage-13 grimly chuckled as he swapped his hand cannon for his sword.

 _"Brave fools," Zavala would call them._

 _"Proper Guardians," Lord Shaax would laugh._

 _"The ones that work," Ikora would muse._

Diablo-41 would look down upon the halved form of a thrall, its face frozen in a scream. "Damn them to oblivion," he grunted.

His brother snorted and sheathed his blade, "Lest they are taken...they are."

Slamming a magazine into his pulse rifle, Diablo sighed and looked back beyond the door from where they ran, "For Phori...we must continue."

Savage nodded and reloaded the chamber of his hand cannon, "For Phori, we kill...Illus, give light."

On that order, a red and black spherical machine phased into view and gleamed light upon the dark halls.

Diablo grunted and rotated his shoulders, the wires sparking slightly with the movements, "We go on."

"Secron, we hunt," Savage clenched his jaw and began to move further in.


	2. Chapter 1

_**Chapter 1: The Foe**_

 _ **Location: Unknown, Hellmouth, Luna**_

 _ **Approx. Time: 11:10, ca. 2700s**_

 _ **Fireteam: Shadow**_

 _ **Fireteam Status: Unknown**_

 _ **Ghost Status: Unknown**_

 _ **Objective Status: Unknown**_

The fortress was a visible symphony of mank and dust and grime, old husks of Hive strewn across the halls, old relics of past battles with past Guardians. From the deep, groans of unidentifiable monstrosities echoed through the dark as what was once an admittedly proud and tenacious race shambled aimlessly, nary a sign of a true and proper leader in sight. Long had the old kings of these monsters passed. Long had a full army been considered. Long had an invasion even been a threat.

Yet they were still a problem to the unexpectant and the unwary and the arrogant. Such was the case with Fireteam Shadow. Phori had been killed. Her Ghost had been killed, arrogant and wanting to help its charge and unwary of the beasts closing in around it. Light drained from its shell like soup when it was damaged before falling completely dark and unresponsive to Phori's desperate pleas. Even Guardians can feel fear.

But not Savage-13. He did not feel fear. He felt anger and frustration at his failure and the death of his friend. He became increasingly reckless as he and his brother moved through the black tunnels and the cracked halls, his red eyes glaring and his hand cannon reloaded repeatedly and his sword constantly sharpened. The Hive would pay for the death of his friend and the deaths of all previous Guardians. He swore this and swore this again when he and his brother came upon an archway that opened into a large circular room. In the center rested a single green flame and above it hovered a single wizard adorned in skull iconography with spikes and spears skewered throughout its body. _Secron, Deathless in Voids._

"Abomination!" Savage shouted whilst aiming his hand cannon at the head of the great foe. "Face your demise!"

Diablo could not stop his brother from firing and charging forward like an animal, a vast roar of defiance and hatred spewing from the wired throat of Savage. Knowing his brother would fall to such folly, Diablo charged as well, although at a much slower pace, and fired round after round at their foe.

The wizard cared not for their actions, setting forth a great scream of equal defiance, one that slowed even the loathful Savage in his tracks. The green flame extended and extended and extended throughout the room until only the Guardians were uncovered, trapped in circles of stone, surrounded by fire. Their foe spoke a hideous tongue and laughed, unaffected by the copious amount of bullets pelting her body. Savage dropped his hand cannon and unsheathed his sword and jumped for the monstrous creature.

"Die!" he shouted with vigor and venom.

All went black in that instant. The fire went out. The foe vanished. Diablo called out to his brother as did Savage to him.

They would awake upon a field. Lush and green and a great orange sun in the sky, its tendrils of light spreading into the horizon beyond. Diablo tried to summon his Ghost as did Savage but to no avail. They, like the flames and the wizard, had vanished. They were not in the Hellmouth, of that they were certain, but where they were they could not say. It was an endless field in burning light and only the great monolith in the East, sparkling with ocean and lime provided some semblance of civilization. It was towards there that the two brothers marched.

They could not prepare themselves for what they would discover.


End file.
